Ministry at Imphal Manipur Nth East India 13/3/2016-18/4/2016

 

Ministry at a Denominational Church

 

On Christmas day 2015, Minthang preached at an army barracks and the Commander and the majority of the garrison were slain in the Holy Spirit. The majority of them weren’t Christians. However, some were and on this ministry trip I received an invitation to preach in a church from one of those army soldiers in the garrison. We visited the church on Good Friday 2016. The Pastor had been warned about Minthang and my-self from his denominational leaders and so he really want us, however, the congregation did and pushed him to invite us. I preached for about fifteen minutes on the resurrection (30 mins with interpretation) and said that God would affirm this truth if people would be prepared to come forward for prayer. Minthang preached for about 45 minutes and other people also preached. It was a long session of about four hours. However, at the end we invited people forward for prayer. The Pastor told us later that he didn’t expect people to be healed. Interestingly, when the offer was made to pray for people, most eyes went to him to see if it was acceptable for them to come forward. Some people came forward for prayer and many were healed. In particular there was one lady who had a blocked bowel for some months. Within about two hours she had her miracle. That night others testified of the same and questions were asked about why this hadn’t been taught and practiced in their church. The Pastor was overwhelmed and due to the testimony of his member’s healing has reconsidered his position about healing and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As I prayed for people I also prayed in tongues. This was a very new experience for them.

 

I’m pleased to add that after the Pastor’s members gave their testimonies he is very willing for us to return and preach again.

The members of the church wanted us to return to preach on the following Sunday, however, the leaders of the denomination were aware that Minthang and I had preached and decided to visit the church five of them conducting a seminar on that day. They openly described what had happened as demonic. The church members vehemently defended both Minthang and myself and were very angry. The following Sunday again after that they turned up with 25 leaders from the denomination to conduct yet another seminar in the church and to hold a feast. The church members told the other churches what happened and the interest in healing and the baptism in the Holy Spirit has been flamed in the surrounding churches. I hope to be able to hold additional meetings but my time is now running out. No doubt Minthang will be quite busy after I leave.

Shortly after my arrival I attended a wedding. A minister saw me and invited me to preach in his church on a certain day. I agreed smiling, however, Minthang and I both laughed in the car as we realized it wouldn’t happen because his denomination has outlawed Minthang and my-self from preaching in their churches. The thing is that the members of the church keep insisting that their Pastors get us to preach due to the continued outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Simply, you can’t contain a revival and the Sovereign move of the Holy Spirit will always find a way.

 

Hindu Teacher and Her Father’s Amazing Conversion

Imphal Manipur Nth East India April, 2016.

 

This testimony demonstrates the amazing sovereign hand of God intersecting with the lives of men. I have to start this testimony with what took place in October, 2015 because it continues into 2016.

 

A Hindu teacher was extremely worried about her father as he had been sent home from hospital with the expectation that he would shortly die from liver cancer. One day she was walking along the main street of her town when a man she had never met before came up to her and said, “You are worried about your father.” She replied, “yes I am he is very sick. The man replied, “I was like your father and Colin Lambert prayed for me and I was healed. If you ask Colin and Minthang Suantak to pray for your father he will be healed.” She was very surprised at this and walked a few paces, turned around only to find that the man had completely disappeared. She immediately went into the nearby shops to try to find him but couldn’t. (What happened to the man? He just disappeared.)

 

The teacher had never met Minthang or my-self and being a Hindu had little to no contact with Christian people. One day Pastor David’s sister-in-law happened to be working for one day at the same school as the Hindu teacher and somehow the teacher became aware that she was a Christian? She asked her if she knew Colin Lambert and Minthang Suantak. David’s sister in law replied that her brother-in-law works with them. The teacher asked for David’s telephone number and she called it. It so happened that Philip Drew and I were on our way to our last church preaching assignment before returning home when David received her call about 400 meters from the teacher’s house. They sent people to watch out for us on the side of the road, we met them and went in to pray for the man. Arriving we met a very sick and thin man sitting on his mat. We sat down and they offered us mango juice and biscuits. I made the declaration that this man was going to be healed today by the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil, our interpreter and my-self prayed for the man. The next day Minthang received a call that the man had been completely healed.

 

It was my privilege to be preaching at Pastor David’s church on Sunday 10th April, 2016 and the teacher and her father were there and she gave her testimony about her father’s miraculous healing. The father is an extremely good violinist and was able to play all of the Christian songs. Not only that, one of our students sang a solo and by ear he was able to play the tune with the student singing. After the service we drove the father and his daughter back to their home about an hour from Imphal. It was an opportunity to talk to the teacher who was I’d say in was in her late 20’s. This service was the first time that she and her father had heard a full salvation message. She told us after her father’s healing “how can we not become Christians after what Jesus has done for us?” She purchased a bible and a Pastor baptized them but no additional Christian contact was made other than an occasional phone call from Minthang. So with very little instruction, she has formed a home fellowship of 25-30 people as a result of the healing of her father. She said she would now teach the home fellowship the lessons she had learnt from my salvation preaching. (The man was no longer the shadow of the sick man we met in October, 2015, but strong and solid.)

In the book of Acts, Philip was translated to another location after preaching to the Ethiopian. It seems likely this is what happened to the man sent to her. Think about the circumstances of this amazing sovereign move of God.

 

• The earlier miraculous healing of the man sent to the woman teacher. (We still don’t know who this man was. I pray for so many people.)

• God sending him to her although he had never met her before. How did he recognize her and how did he know where to go?

• The man speaks to her and then immediately disappears.

• Pastor David’s sister-in-law working one day at the school and the Hindu teacher speaking to her and obtaining Pastor David’s telephone number.

• Me being in Manipur at the exact time she calls David and being in the car with him at the time.

• Passing by and only 400 meters from her house on the same day that she calls on our way to a church assignment and able to pray on that day.

• The immediate miraculous healing of her father.

 

I prayed for her to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and she had an encounter with Him although she didn’t speak in tongues at the time.

At Pastor David’s church, the students were able to see first-hand what happens when the Holy Spirit falls upon people. Of particular note a young 12 year old girl was slain in the Holy Spirit and healed and I didn’t lay hands upon her when she was slain in the Holy Spirit.

Our day of Pentecost had fully come and it was time for the students to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. After being prayed for 12 of the 14 students were slain in the Holy Spirit in their encounter with Him. 

Ministry at Mummies House

 

My Manipur “mummy” had unfortunately passed away a few months before my arrival. She had been crippled by multiple sclerosis and had been healed a few years before and was able to walk freely. Every time I preach at Mummies’ house amazing things take place.

I’m pleased to say that yet another Muslim man turned up to hear the preaching. He accepted Christ and was immediately healed from back and leg pain. A similar thing happened to a Hindu man. In the past we rarely had Muslim’s come to our meetings, but now the trickle has started becoming a stream and the word is getting out that people are being healed. God is doing His sovereign work and we look to a greater number of Muslim converts moving forward.

 

I had the privilege of praying for Minthang’s children. They were all slain in a Holy Spirit encounter as was Khaiboi’s wife.

 

General

I withstood the temptation to minister on a larger scale to the outside community. That is really where my passion is, but the Lord was very clear that my emphasis should be on the Bible College ministry. I am pleased to say that I read works about Hudson Taylor and Rees Howells and found them nothing less than inspiring. It inspires me to develop a Holy character and the realization than “my extremity is God’s opportunity.” Rees Howells was an amazing man of prayer and puts me to shame.

 

India Ministry Report

 

IMPHAL MANIPUR 13/3/16-27/3/16

 

I continue to learn about the people and how to win the State to Christ.

We have 15 students in the bible college the majority having some form of ministry. Home fellowship leaders from Saitol make up the majority of the number. Saitol is a significant area of revival. We haven’t advertised the Bible College but are instead simply seeking God for the students to arrive.

 

Interestingly, I have been told that the Presbyterian Church offered money to the members of the new home fellowships if they returned to the Presbyterian Church. Many people accepted their offer however the five new fellowships still continue to grow. No doubt the pruning will only bring new growth.

 

I have found the biblical knowledge of most of the bible college students to be very basic requiring the milk of the word. We have covered salvation, water baptism, prayer and the baptism in the Holy Spirit so far. Their understanding about these topics was very limited. Most of them had encountered the baptism in the Holy Spirit already and are now learning about the doctrinal basis for the experience. Their understanding about water baptism was again very limited and the holes in the bucket of their understanding have been plugged.

 

On Christmas day last year, Minthang ministered at an army barracks where high ranking army officials attended. The Holy Spirit moved across all those present- an amazing sovereign encounter. As a result a young officer invited Minthang and me to preach at his church. We did this after receiving an invitation from his pastor at the request of his members. Minthang and I preached at this church on Good Friday. We left at 4.30am and it took four hours to arrive. It was tough going on roads that can’t be described but only experienced.

 

After a half hour break we went to the church. The service went for about four hours. One of the elders preached first for about an hour. I was then asked to preach and I preached on the resurrection of Lazarus and the faith of Mary and Martha. I said that we would pray later for people to receive a miracle of healing because God wished to confirm the truth of the central belief about the resurrection. Another two people preached after me and before Minthang concluded the preaching. It was really tiring. I note that most of the people were falling asleep but not when Minthang and I preached. I have to confess that I nodded off a few times myself. It was very humid without being too stuffy. Then it came time to pray for their needs.

 

Many people came forward for prayer for the first time ever. The Pastor and church had never prayed for the members needs in a church service, nor was there any belief that God actually healed today. Many people received their healing. There was one lady in particular who a badly blocked bowel and was unable to sleep and even found eating painful. When I asked her if she was healed she said she would see. Two hours later the contents of her bowel had evacuated. She gave her testimony at the night service. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay because we would be blocked on the road due to the Holi festivals taking place in all the towns during the afternoon and night. Therefore we had to return after lunch.

This type of ministry was very new to the church and the church members want the Pastor to attend our Bible College. However, the Pastor is scared that he will lose his denominational Church funding which is actually a strong possibility. There are three army men who have said that they will pay him more than he is receiving now and always look after his family if he is willing to attend our Bible College. We will have to wait and see. The church wants us to return and God willing if time avails we will. It is such a long and tiring journey.

 

An evangelical elder paid by the church also came with us and discussed the possibility of attending our Bible College. The church has said that if he does so he will lose his salary. He said he doesn’t care and will be attending the College shortly.

 

Two very sick students were prayed for and were instantly healed. One student wanted me to pray for his friend, but I told him he needed to and that she would be healed. He prayed for her over the phone and she rang back the next day to say that God had healed her.

I write this on Sunday and Minthang has gone to the church where a German evangelist was kidnapped by terrorists a number of years ago. Minthang wanted me to preach there, but unfortunately it was considered unsafe at the current time. However I will be preaching there after the Holi festival. Please pray for my safety. I’m not concerned but will place my trust in Christ. After just finishing reading Hudson Taylor’s China journeys I feel just a minnow in a big sea, but encouraged to place my trust in Christ.

 

Before I arrived Minthang had a visit from an 80 year old prophetess. She prophesied that the Bible College would become the best in India. She also told him that he would receive some news from Australia that would give him some encouragement to return there to talk about the ministry. Minthang said to her what about your prophecy if it doesn’t happen. She simply said expect the news in a few days’ time. Before I left a friend told me that he would contribute half Minthang’s air fares when he comes over to talk about the ministry. I called Minthang and told him and this was two days after receiving the prophecy. I met this lady and she told me that God would provide miraculously for the ministry after I return home and not to worry about it. I remain encouraged.

Sorry for the brevity of this short report. As you can imagine I am extremely busy at the present time.

All my love, Colin Lambert.